Mail-bag catcher and deliverer.



L. MELCHIOR.

MAIL BAG CATCHER AND DELIVERER.

APPLICATION man APR. 19. l9l6.

1,201,847. Patented Oct. 17, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1- amwtoz A Cum/" m: uomws PETERS 0a.. Puamurnm. wAsnmz: mu m c.

L. MELCHIOR.

MAIL BAG CATCHER AND DELIVERER.

APPUCATIQN FILED APR. 19, i916.

Patented Oct. 17,1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2- m: NORRIS wsrsns co.. Pnorourna. WASHINGTON, n. c

L. MELCHIOR.

MAlL BAG CATCHER AND DELIVERER.

APPLICATION m n APR. 19, 1915.

Patented Oct. 17, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- LUDWIG nnncnroa, or WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.

MAIL-BAG CATCHER AND DELIVEREE.

Application filed April 19, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUDWIG MELCHIOR, of WVilmington, in the county of New Castle and State of Delaware, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail Catchers and Deliverers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to that class of mail bag delivery and receiving apparatus of the type shown and described in Letters Patent No. 909,007 granted to me January 5, 1909, the invention relating particularly to apparatus designed to be positioned adjacent a railway and with which mechanism on the car is intended to cooperate for delivering and receiving mail.

The object 'of the invention is to improve the mechanism shown and described in said patent by providing simple and highly eflicient means fOr suspending the bag in position to be collected by car carried apparatus as well as to improve the receiving mechanism of the crane.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation showing a portion of a car along side a delivery crane, the delivery and receiving mechanism of both car and crane being in operative position. Fig. 2

' is a similar view showing the parts ininoperative position. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the receiving shelf of the crane. Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view and Fig. 5 a cross section of the upper portion of the I crane and the receiving arm.

to a co forming the subject of a division of this application. I

Referring to the drawlngs, 1 designates a bar extended across the opening of a car door and journaled at its ends in bearings 2, being held in its normal position by a coiled spring 3, one end of which is secured .lar of the bar and the other to Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 17, 1916.

Serial N 0. 92,203.

one of the bearings 2, a handle 5 being provided for turning the bar. A stud 6 cooperating with recesses 7 in one of the bearings 2 holds the bar in adjusted positions. A catcher arm 8 of known form is also mounted on the bar.

' The bag holding mechanism includes a bifurcated arm 12 disposed at an angle to the bar 1 and having its shank fixedly secured'thereto, the extensions of the arm being' normally in a vertical plane and a D-shaped retaining member 13 pivotally mounted in the arm 12'. The arms of the retaining member normally lie in parallelism with the arms 12, and these arms are designed to support a loop 1 1 from which the mail bags are suspended. The loop is notched as at 15 to accommodate a series of mail bag rings, and such loop is held in its normal position -within' the retaining member by a spring arm 17, while the arms of the retaining member are normally held in parallelism with the arms 12 by a spring catch 18 mounted in the shank of the bag holder.

The crane or support for the delivery and receiving mechanism at the side of the road bed is shown in the form of a standard or post 20. The delivery mechanism comprises a shelf-like member 21 mounted upon one end of a frame 22, which latter is pivotally secured to the standard 2Q. The opposite end of this frame is weighted so as to swing the shelf 21 upwardly when not in use. At each end of the shelf I provide a loop retaining member in the form of spring arms 23, such arms being designed to hold the loop on which the bags are supported in proper position for engagement by the catcher arm of a train. It is manifestthat the shelf may be of any preferred form which will permit a bag or bags to be placed thereon with the bag ring loop in position between the spring arms at the end. To facilitate the removal of the bag I provide the shelf with a series of roller bearings 24.

' The receiving mechanism of the crane comprises a hooked arm 27, the arm when in position for receiving a mail bag or bags from a car having its hooked portion in an approximately horizontal plane. After the bag has been delivered to this arm the lat ter is designed to be swung about a vertical and then about a horizontal axis so as to lower the bag to an accessible point. The arm 27 is supported within the post by a short cylindrical member 28, which forms the vertical pivotal connection between the post and the arm. Diametrally opposite squared apertures 29 in the member 28 are designed to receive squared portions 30 and 31' of the arm. Between these squared portions of the arm, as at 32, and at its extreme end, 33, such arm is cylindrical in cross section, these cylindrical portions being so spaced that when the arm is moved laterally outward a certain distance they will be within the squared apertures of the member 28. When moved laterally inward the squared portions of the arm will fit within the apertures 29. By this construction it will be seen that when the arm is moved outwardly, it is free to turn on a horizontal axis relatively to the cylindrical member, thus allowing its hooked arm to fall from a horizontal to an approximately vertical plane. When the armis in its inner position with the squared portions within the squared apertures of the cylinders the arm is locked and prevented from turning. To efiect the automatic change in positions I provide a cam 34 on the inner side of the post 20 in line with the end of the arm 27 which latter is recessed at its end to accommodate a roller hearing; A spring 35' encircles that portion of the arm lying within the cylinder and through a collar 41 fast on the arm holds the arm in engagement with the cam. Provision is made for bringing the arm as a whole to a lower level than when in operative position by means of an inclined slot 42 in the post, this slot being notched as at 43 and 44: to hold the arm in its two positions, a roller 45 onthe latter working in the slot and being designed to be received by the notches.

As the bag is received by the catcher arm 27 the force of the impact will cause the latterto swing about a vertical axis. As it does soit will ride down the inclined slot in the standard, being at the same time forced outwardly relatively to its supporting member 28 by the engagement of the end of the catcher arm with the cam 34. This rela tive movement will disengage. the squared portions of the catcher arm from the angular apertures in the member 28 and will bring the rounded portions of the arm in such position as will permit the catcher arm to turn about a horizontal axis, thus bringing the arm into a perpendicular position and the mail bag to a position which is readily accessible, the bag being prevented: from falling off the 'arm by prong like members 46 with which the bag loop will engage. A bag or bags to be delivered to a car are placed on the shelf 21 with thebag rings inensuspended from a mail bag in position to be engaged by the catcher arm on a car.

2. Apparatus of the character described, including a standard, a frame pivoted at the upper end of said standard, a shelf at one end of said frame, a weighted member on the other end thereof for raising said. shelf when not in use, said shelf having a series of anti-friction rollers for supporting a mail-bag, and a resilient retaining member at each end designed to receive and hold a loop suspended from a mail bag in position to be engaged by the catcher arm on a car.

3. Apparatus of the character described,

including a standard having an inclined slot, an axially movable member mounted in said standard, an arm fitted in said member and projecting through said slot, and means for efiecting a relative movement between said arm and said axially movable member to permit saidarm to turn about a horizontal axis.

4;. Apparatus of the character described, including a standard having an inclined slot, an axially movable member mounted in said standard, an arm projecting through said slot and having a connection with said member to prevent axial turning of the arm, and means carried by said standard for effecting a relative movement between said arm and said member whereby said arm may turn about a horizontal axis.

Apparatus of the character described, including a standard having an inclined slot, an axially movable member mounted insaid standard and having angular apertures, a mail bag receiving arm projecting through said slot and the apertures of said member, said arm having angular portions for fitting in said apertures, and said arm also having spaced apart cylindrical portions, and means carried by said standard for moving said arm relatively to said mem ber to disengage said angular portions therefrom and permit said arm to turn on member, said arm having angular portions for fitting in said apertures, and said arm also having spaced apart cylindrical portions, means normally holding said arm in locked engagement With said member, and means on said standard for rendering said last mentioned means ineffective.

7. Apparatus of the character described, including a standard having an inclined slot, an axially movable member mounted in said standard and having angular apertures, a mail bag receiving arm projecting through said slot and the apertures of said member, said arm having angular portions for fitting in said apertures, and said arm also having spaced apart cylindrical portions, acam on said standard for moving said arm relatively to said member to disengage said angular portions therefrom, and a spring for holding the end of said arm in contact With said cam.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

LUDWIG MELCHIOR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of intents, Washington, DV 0. 

